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James Hayton, ex-PhD student and now full-time PhD coach, describes on his blog how a change of mindset and attitude towards his PhD project allowed him to go from being on the verge of quitting to writing up his thesis in just three short months.

After his revelation and the successful passing of his PhD, James began to share his advice with others, and has done so well that it’s now his full-time job.

On his blog, which is linked above, you can find short tips and advice, full-length articles and blog posts, and he also offers webinars and personal coaching which you can pay for if you feel you need more in-depth information.

Although I don’t necessarily agree with every single piece of advice he gives, some of his ways of looking at PhD work can be very refreshing, and very helpful if you’re finding yourself stuck in a rut with your studies. Perhaps the most helpful is his free to download Short Guide to Writing a PhDFast, where he outlines how he completed his write-up in three months, and how you can do the same, just by getting in the right frame of mind and committing yourself to your work in the right way.

The thesis write-up can be a very daunting and almost frightening prospect, and an approach such as the one James offers could be the key if you’re prone to feeling overwhelmed or panicked by such a large piece of work.

With PhD courses varying wildly depending on what subject you’re studying, it’s very hard to find meaningful advice which can be applied to your situation. One of the reasons I’ve decided to dedicate a post to James’ blog is that his PhD was in physics, and so the PhD and write-up process is very similar to that of a PhD in the chemical sciences, so his tips are very applicable to chemistry students.

A PhD is a huge commitment, and it’s very common to feel down about your progress, or worried about if you’ll manage to get everything done. A stream of handy, upbeat advice can give you a boost every so often, and help you to keep focused and positive.

You can find the full list of James’ articles here – take a look for yourself, and see if you find them useful!